Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32075586›Full record

ArticleBMC geriatrics2020

Use of potentially inappropriate medication and polypharmacy in older adults: a repeated cross-sectional study.

Kristine Thorell, Patrik Midlöv, Johan Fastbom, Anders Halling

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC geriatrics, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
25citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
3.8field-weighted citation impact, top 6% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

25 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 50 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Kristine ThorellDepartment of Quality and Development, Karlskrona, Region Blekinge, Sweden. Kristine.Thorell@med.lu.se.ORCID 0000-0002-4831-3888
Patrik MidlövDepartment of Clinical Sciences, Malmö, General Practice/Family Medicine, Lund University, Box 50332, 202 13, Malmö, Sweden.
Johan FastbomAging Research Center, Center for Alzheimer Research, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences And Society, Karolinska Institute and Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
Anders HallingDepartment of Clinical Sciences, Malmö, General Practice/Family Medicine, Lund University, Box 50332, 202 13, Malmö, Sweden.
Malmö University · SEStockholm University · SE

Funding

Blekinge county council's research council LTB-846261
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundWith age, the number of chronic conditions increases along with the use of medications. For several years, polypharmacy has been found to be on the increase in western societies. Polypharmacy is associated with an increased risk of adverse drug events (ADE). Medications called potentially inappropriate medications (PIM) have also been found to increase the risk of ADEs in an older population. In this study, which we conducted during a national information campaign to reduce PIM, we analysed the prevalence of PIM in an older adult population and in different strata of the variables age, gender, number of chronic conditions and polypharmacy and how that prevalence changed over time.

methodsThis is a registry-based repeated cross-sectional study including two cohorts. Individuals aged 75 or older listed at a primary care centre in Blekinge on the 31st March 2011 (cohort 1, 15,361 individuals) or on the 31st December 2013 (cohort 2, 15,945 individuals) were included in the respective cohorts. Using a chi2 test, the two cohorts were compared on the variables age, gender, number of chronic conditions and polypharmacy. Use of five or more medications at the same time was the definition for polypharmacy.

resultsUse of PIM decreased from 10.60 to 7.04% (p-value < 0.001) between 2011 and 2013, while prevalence of five to seven chronic conditions increased from 20.55 to 23.66% (p-value < 0.001). Use of PIM decreased in all strata of the variables age, gender number of chronic conditions and polypharmacy. Except for age 80-84 and males, where it increased, prevalence of polypharmacy was stable in all strata of the variables.

conclusionsUse of potentially inappropriate medications had decreased in all variables between 2011 and 2013; this shows the possibility to reduce PIM with a focused effort. Polypharmacy does not increase significantly compared to the rest of the population.

Indexed as

Inappropriate PrescribingPotentially Inappropriate Medication ListAgedAged, 80 and overCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMalePolypharmacyPrevalenceRisk FactorsElderlyNumber of chronic conditionsPolypharmacyPotentially inappropriate medications

Identifiers

PMID32075586
PMCPMC7032002
OpenAlexW3008608385

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.